


Lethe, or An Afterlife For The Gods

by florencedrunk



Series: The March 2017 Stucky Challenge [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gods AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 01:39:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10062242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/florencedrunk/pseuds/florencedrunk
Summary: Nowadays, humans believe their dead sprout wings and fly to some place called Heaven. Gods don't know what happens after they drink Lethe's water. They'd be kinder if they did.335. kill a god





	

 

Love and Death and Fear and Hope: these are the Gods that will never die.

Their existence is rooted in the human nature, and always will be. In the darkest of times, there's Hope. When there's peace, there's always Fear for what comes next. Death and Love are so tightly intertwined that it's hard to distinguish one from the other.

Gods themselves are subject to Love and Fear and Hope, but they remain untouched by Death. Their final destiny is much worse, for there's a God that all the others dread above everything else.

 

* * *

 

"It's time, then," Steve says.

Gods have many names, it is known. They have one used by their followers and one by their detractors, one by those who serve them, and one by those who fear them. They have one used by humans, and one by their peers.

"It is," Bucky says, giving him the cup. Inside, the water boils and freezes and boils again.

Once upon a time, Steve was the most powerful warriors among the Gods. There were altars dedicated to him, and festivities where crowds of millions chanted his name. Then, new Gods came and took over his dominion. Tonight, the last human who remembered him died.

"Will it be quick?" he asks, taking the cup in his hands.

"Yes. But not painless."

Bucky's skin is like amber, golden and glowing and showing all that it's inside; Steve's is soft and clear and perfect, so beautiful that even the scars traversing it look more like decorations than marks. Bucky's eyes are black and hollow; Steve's are blue and deep and even now they're full of tears they remain stunning.

"We can do this another way," Bucky suggests.

He takes the cup back, and strokes the other man's face with his free hand. Their lips touch and Bucky shallows him whole.

 

* * *

 

Humans are immortal in a way Gods can never be, and Bucky is the only one who knows this. He watches into his mirror, down at the land of mortals, and sees a child with eyes the colour of the sky coming to life.

Bucky is the guardian of the river of forgetfulness, he takes the lives of the soulless, he destroys the redundant. The Gods are powerful, but presumptuous. They never ask where the forgotten go, never question what his real power is.

Nowadays, humans believe their dead sprout wings and fly to some place called Heaven. Gods don't know what happens after they drink Lethe's water. They'd be kinder if they did.

 

**Author's Note:**

> If you have questions or just want to say hi you can find me on [tumblr](http://florencedrunk.tumblr.com).


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